Nancy A. Kernan, MD

Assistant Chief, Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Service

I am a pediatric oncologist with extensive experience in transplantation with marrow, cord blood, and peripheral blood stem cells. I treat hematologic malignancies (such as leukemia) and immunologic disorders in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. I also serve as Assistant Chief of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Service.

The unrelated donor program at Memorial Sloan Kettering was one of the first in the country and I have participated in it from its inception, working on many committees of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and serving as the Chair of its Board of Directors. I have directed clinical trials of blood stem cell transplants from unrelated volunteer or cord blood donors and have also conducted studies of transplants from HLA-matched or HLA-mismatched family members.

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I am attracted to the field of bone marrow transplantation because of its translational nature: We have been able to take findings from laboratory research and translate them into tools to cure immunological diseases in patients. Bone marrow transplantation is a lengthy process, and I enjoy getting to know my patients and their families as we go on this journey together.

In addition, I chair the Research Council here at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The Research Council is responsible for the scientific review of all clinical protocols (new research studies). All departments, not just the Department of Pediatrics, submit protocols for review. Once a protocol is approved by the Research Council it is submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for ethical review.

Education is one of the missions of Memorial Sloan Kettering. Throughout the year I have the opportunity to teach medical students, residents and fellows while attending on the inpatient service and seeing patients in the Pediatric Day Hospital. I particularly like one-on-one teaching with focus on a patient who presents a challenging diagnostic or management problem. I am particularly proud to have received the Willet E. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence from Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2004.

I feel enormously gratified when I hear from patients who have graduated from college, married, and had children, and are living healthy and productive lives. Many of them go on to be participants in Memorial Sloan Kettering's Program for Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancer.